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Samuel

Samuel was a prophet and the last judge of Israel before the establishment of the monarchy, who anointed both Saul and David as kings.

The name Samuel means “heard of God; asked of God”

MaleProphetTribe of LeviUnited Monarchy eraOld & New Testaments7 books157 verses

Summary

A prophet from the tribe of Levi living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1 Samuel 1:20; referred to as Samuel (שְׁמוּאֵל) or Samuel (Σαμουήλ); a son of Elkanah and Hannah; father of Joel and Abijah.

Profile

Samuel lived at the end of the time of the judges and helped lead Israel into the time of kings. He was Israel’s last judge (1 Samuel 7:6, 15–17). Samuel is often seen as Israel’s first prophet (1 Samuel 3:20; Acts 3:24; 13:20). He served as a priest (see 1 Samuel 2:18). He was a man of great faith (Hebrews 11:32).

Samuel was born because his mother Hannah prayed for him. Samuel’s parents traveled each year from Ramah to the sanctuary at Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:3). At the sanctuary, Hannah, who could not have children, prayed for a son and promised to dedicate him to God for full-time service (1 Samuel 1:9–11). God answered her prayer, and Samuel was born (1 Samuel 1:19–20). When Samuel was old enough, Hannah took him to serve in the sanctuary with Eli, the high priest (1 Samuel 1:24–28; 2:11).

Eli's sons were wicked, but Samuel served the Lord. It soon became clear that God spoke more closely with Samuel than with Eli. God warned Samuel about the disaster coming to Eli's family (1 Samuel 3:1–18). This prophecy came true when the Philistines defeated Israel, killed Eli's sons, and took the ark of the covenant (1 Samuel 4:1–22). Later, under Samuel's leadership, the people repented for their idolatry (worship of false gods) and won an important battle against the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:3–17).

As Samuel grew older, it became clear he had the same weakness as Eli. Samuel’s sons were evil (1 Samuel 8:1–3), and the people did not want them to lead the nation. Instead, they asked Samuel to appoint a king to lead them in battle against their enemies (1 Samuel 8:4–5). Samuel then anointed Saul as Israel's first king (1 Samuel 9:1–10:24).

The change from the time of the judges to having kings was difficult. Samuel, as a priest, prayed for the people. As a prophet, he criticized Saul for being impatient and disobedient (1 Samuel 13:5–14; 15:12–35). When God rejected Saul as king, Samuel anointed David as God's chosen one (1 Samuel 16:1–13) and protected David from Saul (19:18–24).

Through prayer and determination, Samuel was a faithful leader (Jeremiah 15:1; Hebrews 11:32). He cared deeply for his people and bravely corrected kings and elders. He united Israel from tribal divisions into a strong nation and established a system of rule by kings. He likely wrote The Record of Samuel the Seer (1 Chronicles 29:29). He wrote down how a good king should rule (1 Samuel 10:25). When he died, all of Israel mourned him. He was buried in Ramah, his hometown (1 Samuel 25:1).

Passages for Further Study

1 Samuel 1:19–2:11; 3:1–4:1; 7:3–16:13; 19:18–24; 25:1; 28:1–25; Psalm 99:6; Jeremiah 15:1; Acts 3:24; 13:20; Hebrews 11:32

Glossary entries

Samuel (Person) Shemuel

Family members

Father

Elkanah

Mother

Hannah

Children

Abijah Joel

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Alternative names

Mentions

157 verses

Includes 36 verses that refer to Samuel without naming them, as “he”, “she”, or the subject of a verb.

  1. 1 Samuel 15:14
    But Samuel replied, “Then what is this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?”
  2. 1 Samuel 15:15Referred to, not named
    Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but the rest we devoted to destruction.”
  3. 1 Samuel 15:16
    “Stop!” exclaimed Samuel. “Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul replied.
  4. 1 Samuel 15:17
    And Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, have you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel
  5. 1 Samuel 15:20
    “But I did obey the LORD,” Saul replied. “I went on the mission that the LORD gave me. I brought back Agag king of Amalek and devoted the Amalekites to destruction.
  6. 1 Samuel 15:21Referred to, not named
    The troops took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of the things devoted to destruction, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”
  7. 1 Samuel 15:22
    But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.
  8. 1 Samuel 15:24
    Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have transgressed the LORD’s commandment and your instructions, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
  9. 1 Samuel 15:25Referred to, not named
    Now therefore, please forgive my sin and return with me so I can worship the LORD.”
  10. 1 Samuel 15:26
    “I will not return with you,” Samuel replied. “For you have rejected the word of the LORD, and He has rejected you as king over Israel.”
  11. 1 Samuel 15:27
    As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed the hem of his robe, and it tore.
  12. 1 Samuel 15:28
    So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.
  13. 1 Samuel 15:30Referred to, not named
    “I have sinned,” Saul replied. “Please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel. Come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God.”
  14. 1 Samuel 15:31
    So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.
  15. 1 Samuel 15:32
    Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.” Agag came to him cheerfully, for he thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
  16. 1 Samuel 15:33
    But Samuel declared: “As your sword has made women childless, so your mother will be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal.
  17. 1 Samuel 15:34
    Then Samuel went to Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul.
  18. 1 Samuel 15:35
    And to the day of his death, Samuel never again visited Saul. Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
  19. 1 Samuel 16:1
    Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king for Myself.”
  20. 1 Samuel 16:2
    “How can I go?” Samuel asked. “Saul will hear of it and kill me!” The LORD answered, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
  21. 1 Samuel 16:3Referred to, not named
    Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you are to do. You are to anoint for Me the one I indicate.”
  22. 1 Samuel 16:4
    So Samuel did what the LORD had said and went to Bethlehem. When the elders of the town met him, they trembled and asked, “Do you come in peace?”
  23. 1 Samuel 16:5Referred to, not named
    “In peace,” he replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
  24. 1 Samuel 16:6Referred to, not named
    When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Surely here before the LORD is His anointed.”
  25. 1 Samuel 16:7
    But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”
  26. 1 Samuel 16:8
    Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel, who said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.”
  27. 1 Samuel 16:9Referred to, not named
    Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.”
  28. 1 Samuel 16:10
    Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel told him, “The LORD has not chosen any of these.”
  29. 1 Samuel 16:11
    And Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied, “but he is tending the sheep.” “Send for him,” Samuel replied. “For we will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”
  30. 1 Samuel 16:12Referred to, not named
    So Jesse sent for his youngest son and brought him in. He was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him, for he is the one.”
  31. 1 Samuel 16:13
    So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.
  32. 1 Samuel 19:18
    So David ran away and escaped. And he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there.
  33. 1 Samuel 19:20
    …he sent messengers to seize him. But when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God came upon them, and Saul’s messengers also began to prophesy.
  34. 1 Samuel 19:22
    Finally, Saul himself left for Ramah and came to the large cistern at Secu, where he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” “At Naioth in Ramah,” he was told.
  35. 1 Samuel 19:24
    Then Saul stripped off his robes and also prophesied before Samuel. And he collapsed and lay naked all that day and night. That is why it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
  36. 1 Samuel 25:1
    When Samuel died, all Israel gathered to mourn for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David set out and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.
  37. 1 Samuel 28:3
    Now by this time Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.
  38. 1 Samuel 28:11
    “Whom shall I bring up for you?” the woman asked. “Bring up Samuel,” he replied.
  39. 1 Samuel 28:12
    But when the woman saw Samuel, she cried out in a loud voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”
  40. 1 Samuel 28:14
    “What does he look like?” asked Saul. “An old man is coming up,” she replied. “And he is wearing a robe.” So Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed facedown in reverence.
  41. 1 Samuel 28:15
    Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” “I am deeply distressed,” replied Saul. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”
  42. 1 Samuel 28:16
    “Why do you consult me,” asked Samuel, “since the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy?
  43. 1 Samuel 28:17Referred to, not named
    He has done exactly what He spoke through me: The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David.
  44. 1 Samuel 28:19Referred to, not named
    Moreover, the LORD will deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. And the LORD will deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”
  45. 1 Samuel 28:20
    Immediately Saul fell flat on the ground, terrified by the words of Samuel. And his strength was gone, because he had not eaten anything all that day and night.
  46. 1 Chronicles 6:28
    The sons of Samuel: Joel his firstborn and Abijah his second son.
  47. 1 Chronicles 6:33
    These are the men who served, together with their sons. From the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,
  48. 1 Chronicles 9:22
    The number of those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds was 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their positions of trust.
  49. 1 Chronicles 11:3
    So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where David made a covenant with them before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD through Samuel.
  50. 1 Chronicles 26:28
    Everything that had been dedicated by Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah, along with everything else that was dedicated, was under the care of Shelomith and his brothers.
  51. 1 Chronicles 29:29
    Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are indeed written in the Chronicles of Samuel the Seer, the Chronicles of Nathan the Prophet, and the Chronicles of Gad the Seer,
  52. 2 Chronicles 35:18
    No such Passover had been observed in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel ever observed a Passover like the one that Josiah observed with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the Israelites who were present, and the people of Jerusalem.
  53. Psalm 99:6
    Moses and Aaron were among His priests; Samuel was among those who called on His name. They called to the LORD and He answered.
  54. Jeremiah 15:1
    Then the LORD said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Send them from My presence, and let them go!
  55. Acts 3:24
    Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have proclaimed these days.
  56. Acts 13:20
    All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.
  57. Hebrews 11:32
    And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets,